When Prince Harry Sparked Controversy by Dressing as a Nazi for a Friend's Party

In the final half of Netflix's royal drama The Crown, viewers witness the portrayal of a moment that Prince Harry would likely prefer to erase from history—the night he appeared at a friend's party dressed as a Nazi. This incident occurred in 2005 when Harry was only 20 years old. The party in question was themed 'Natives and Colonial' and was hosted by Olympic showjumper Richard Meade for his son's (also Harry) 22nd birthday. But the Prince's choice of attire caused a major stir, with repercussions rippling through the royal family.

Prince Harry received an invitation in January 2005, as per Cosmopolitan. A Nazi costume, more precisely the 'desert uniform of General Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps,' was worn by Prince Harry. Reports from the time stated that their friend Guy was dressed as Queen Elizabeth, while Prince William was dressed as a leopard with black trousers. Later, Harry wrote in his memoir, Spare, that William and Kate had encouraged him to get his costume, which he received the day of the celebration.

"With time running out, I narrowed my options to two," he wrote, as reported by Time. "A British pilot’s uniform. And a sand-colored Nazi uniform. With a swastika armband. And a flat cap. I phoned Willy and Kate, asked what they thought. Nazi uniform, they said. I rented it, plus a silly mustache, and went back to the house. I tried it all on. They both howled. Worse than Willy’s leotard outfit! Way more ridiculous! Which, again, was the point."

Nonetheless, the outrage was quick as the photo appeared on the tabloid top page. Some speculated that then-Prince Charles's inability to discipline his younger son was symbolized by the outfit. Others demanded that Harry be expelled from Sandhurst, the military college. Clarence House responded by releasing a statement on Harry's behalf. As per The Guardian, he apologized profusely if he had offended or embarrassed anyone: “It was a poor choice of costume and I apologise.” 

"When I saw those photos, I recognized immediately that my brain had been shut off, that perhaps it had been shut off for some time," he also wrote in his book, Spare. "I wanted to go around Britain knocking on doors, explaining to people: I wasn’t thinking. I meant no harm. But it wouldn’t have made any difference. Judgment was swift, harsh. I was either a crypto Nazi or else a mental defective."

"It was probably one of the biggest mistakes of my life," Harry further stated in the Harry & Meghan Netflix documentary, as per The Independent. "I felt so ashamed afterwards." Harry went on, "All I wanted to do was make it right. I sat down spoke to the Chief Rabbi in London, which had a profound impact on me. I went to Berlin and spoke to a Holocaust survivor. I could have just ignored it and gone on and made the same mistakes over and over again in my life. But I learned from that."